So with this Kiss
by Juniper11
Summary: Sometimes you can love too much.


_**Title: So with this Kiss**_

_**For: The Kaka/Saku LJ Love's Not Time's fool Competition hosted by moderndayportia**_

_**Pairing: Kaka/Saku**_

_**Type: AU, Non-massacre**_

**_Genre: Romance, Angst, & Tragedy_**

_**A/N: This story is based upon Shakespeare's 'Othello' and set in a Naruto** **sc**__**e****ne**__. __**Neither of which I own. Furthermore, the last line of this story is taken strictly from Shakespeare. So it's not mine either. **_

* * *

**So with this Kiss**

_He pulled his lips away from hers, and she giggled, a little embarrassed as a thin thread of saliva stretched between the two of them. He let out a chuckle of his own, and soon buried his face in her neck, placing featherlike kisses along her throat. She had the brief thought that his actions were kind of gross given the previous occurrence but her eyes soon closed and parted as she drank in his touch and became lost in it. _

_He pulled away from her, raising her chin so that he could look into her eyes. "Say you won't leave me." He whispered fiercely. They sat together hidden from the prying eyes of others, engulfed in darkness and wrapped in each other's arms. Sakura pulled away from him and laid her head against his chest, listening to the strong and steady beat of his heart. _

"_You want me to tell you sweet lies? Death is the path of every ninja," She said with wisdom beyond her years. _

_He paused for a moment pondering her words, "No, I won't have you lie." No matter how sweet the words were to his ears he would rather hear the truth, and that was something that she knew well. He pulled her close, reveling in her sweet scent of lemongrass and oranges. Something in the fierceness of his embrace worried her enough that she pulled back and stared into his unmasked face. _

"_I may not be able to say I won't ever leave you, Kaka-sensei, but only death will separate me from you." _

"_Then marry me." He whispered the words in her ear and laughed out loud when she wrapped her arms around him and hugged him tightly. The words took her by surprise and filled her with an amount of joy that she had never believed possible._

"_Yes!" _

_And with those words it was enough and he claimed her lips for his own. _

_:::_

_:::_

Tsunade looked at the people in her office with a scowl. It ought to be illegal to be dragged out of bed this late at night. She wasn't the least bit happy, and nor were the occupants of her office. They were screaming for blood and she hadn't a clue as to why. She recognized Genma's face, as well as the stern countenance of Kotetsu. She definitely recognized Kakashi, but the other occupants she immediately dismissed, assuming the reason that they were there was a ninja matter.

Tsunade pounded her fist hard onto her desk, effectively silencing the room. When everyone was properly silenced, she folded her hands and glared at them menacingly.

"Would someone mind telling me why the hell I'm in here at two o'clock in the morning--and if you start talking over each other again I will start breaking bones."

A male stepped forward. He appeared to be about six feet tall with broad shoulders. His hair was almost entirely black save for a strip of pink that contrasted greatly against it. His eyes were a riveting green and Tsunade knew without a doubt that this was Sakura's father. She sighed inwardly. What had Kakashi done now? Had the man found out about his regular porn reading habits and become afraid he'd corrupt his daughter? She could understand the concern, but she really couldn't condone waking her up at two o' clock in the morning _for that. _

"This man, this so-called ninja, has corrupted my daughter, cast some sort on jutsu on her and run off with her."

Run off? Surely, he didn't mean--

One glance at the man's face and she knew he really did mean it. Tsunade's eyes grew round and large. That was quite the accusation, and she automatically found herself disbelieving it. Sakura? Run off with Kakashi? Preposterous. Still, she knew she had to question him unless she wanted a small war on her hands. The only thing she wanted was to go to bed--but that apparently wasn't happening.

Sakura's father may not have been a clan leader, but he had a lot of influence in the village and he could make her life hell should he choose to do so. So she turned to Kakashi to find his shoulders slumped and his hands stuffed in his pockets. He never once looked away from her and for some reason this action unnerved her.

"Is there any truth to his words, Kakashi?"

"I would never put a jutsu on Sakura to have her run off with me." Kakashi said evasively, attempting to use wordplay to redirect his leader. However, the older woman was not a fool and as soon as he spoke, Tsunade knew. He had done this thing. A part of her wanted to rage at him for his carelessness, but she could only keep her face blank as she possibly could under the circumstances. She didn't want her shock to be something that Haruno-san could use against her and one of her prize ninjas. It was a situation that had to be handled with the utmost delicacy.

"Kakashi, what happened?" Tsunade asked plainly. Her voice was calm, and it belied the torment that lay inside her.

"I married her."

Tsunade saw right then and there that Sakura's father wanted to lunge at him, but he restrained himself--barely.

"I demand justice! She's just a child! How dare he even think that he could lay his hands on my only child! He's a filthy pedophile!" His face was nearly purple with his rage and his arms flew about here and there. His lips were curled into a permanent snarl and it left no doubt in her mind where Sakura got her temper from.

Tsunade sighed, feeling the beginnings of a headache coming on. She wondered if they would have anything against her pulling out her well concealed bottle of sake. Tsunade glanced at Haruno-san's face again and let out a scowl of her own. Yes, he would mind alright. She rubbed at her temple and began to explain with what little patience she had.

"Technically, Haruno-san, Sakura is of legal age to marry."

"Seventeen is hardly legal!" He spluttered.

"In the ninja world it is. Just by graduating from the academy her life has been cut short. Our lives are lived constantly under the threat of death. There is a constant shedding of blood. If she can kill a man why can't she love one?" Tsunade contradicted. She felt a little sorry for the man who had paled at her words, still they were words that had to be said, and she would not take them back. "This is something you should have thought of before you allowed her to join the academy. I'm afraid you have no choice but to accept it."

"Accept it? How do I know he didn't force her into this marriage? Use some sort of…what's the word again?" He paused, his mind had become cloudy in his rage so he took a moment to focus once more. "Some jutsu to convince her to do something so foolish? He hardly seems like the ethical sort of man--especially since he married my daughter behind my back!"

Tsunade rolled her eyes, and looked at Kakashi with the intent to resolve this situation as swiftly as possible. "Where is Sakura, Kakashi?"

"She's in my apartment, Tsunade-sama."

Tsunade glanced around the room at one of the many occupants until her eyes settled on Genma.

"Genma, go get Sakura and bring her to the hospital. I'll examine her there to make sure there was no foul play and I'll converse with her on my own."

"But--" Sakura's father began, but was quelled by Tsunade's sharp look.

"I will speak with her alone when I'm ready. I will judge for myself whether or not she was coerced. In the mean time, Kakashi, tell us how you and Sakura started this whole thing in the first place."

"Well, it all started…."

:::

_--Flashback--_

He was sitting at a table outside his favorite little café. He came there often just to sit, read, and relax. He often enjoyed the outside tables and every now and then he would raise his head and watch the people that walked by. He'd listen in on their mundane conversations and chuckled every now and then at happenings he understood because he was a chronic eavesdropper. It was an odd habit, but it kept him entertained so he continued doing it.

This particular day, suddenly he was no longer alone. She sat down and put her elbow on the table and rested her face in the palm of her hand, green eyes staring at him solemnly.

"Sakura, what are you doing here?" He was surprised to see her. They generally didn't speak with each other that often outside of missions and training. So to see her sitting there right now was something of a surprise. The logical thing to do was assume something was wrong.

"Can't I keep you company, sensei?" Her brow furrowed a little with confusion and innocence--innocence that he suspected was an act to get something she wanted.

"I suppose." He said, momentarily playing along, curious as to what game she was playing. Kakashi went back to reading, every now and then eyeing her quiet form. He found it a bit disquieting that she seemed to be staring at him. It wasn't often that people stared at him. He really didn't give them the opportunity. He wasn't called 'elusive' for nothing.

He was about to ask her what was on her mind when she broke the silence that, for him, was uncomfortable.

"Sasuke broke up with me." That was surprising information, but it gave a lot of insight as to why she was there now. So he lowered his book and leaned back in his chair, waiting for her to say a bit more. "I should be upset, right? I should be crying or something, shouldn't I?"

Kakashi shrugged his shoulders. "Everyone deals with these things in different ways."

"I understand that," Sakura said with a nod, "but the only thing I feel is relieved and a bit confused."

"Relieved?" That was a bit of a surprise as well. He had always thought she was crazy about the Uchiha. In her younger days it was as if the boy had hung the moon and stars. She had put new meaning to the term 'infatuation'.

"Yeah." When it appeared that she didn't intend to say another word he asked her why she had been confused. She pursed her lips slightly and he chuckled silently, wondering what she'd say if he called her expression cute. "I'm confused because of why he broke up with me. He claimed I was in love with someone else."

"Are you?" That was certainly news. Kakashi didn't miss much, so to overlook Sakura with a wandering eye was something of a shock.

"If I am then I'm completely clueless as to who it could be. To make it all worse he wouldn't tell me who it was. Such a selfish guy," Sakura said with a roll of her eyes and a toss of her hair. Kakashi chuckled at her completely ludicrous statement. Why would he help the girl he was interested in get with another guy? No sane man would take such an action. "There's really no one that I think of in a romantic light."

"Love manifests itself in many different ways." Kakashi offered.

"Maybe it does." She said quietly, almost thoughtfully. She turned her head and began looking at passersby. He was thankful that her attention was not centered on him, and he took the opportunity to study her instead. He recalled that she was sixteen years old now. A gentle breeze blew strands of her hair about her face he realized for the first time that she had grown into a beautiful young woman. The thought made him uncomfortable so he pulled out his book and began reading once more. She soon ordered something to eat and said not another word.

It became something of a ritual. She'd find him at the café, sit down, talk for a while, order a meal, and then leave. In time he began to look forward to it. Kakashi found that those times were the only times that he didn't feel an ounce of loneliness. The weight of his past didn't press so heavily upon his shoulders. Unfortunately, he discovered that piece of information when she didn't show up for the first time, and then the second. The third time it occurred he went searching for her.

He wasn't sure what to say when he found her. She was training--with Uchiha Itachi. Itachi and Kakashi used to be on an ANBU team together, and the man was an exceptional ninja. Honestly, he was one of the few people that he wouldn't mind having at his side in battle. They worked well together and Kakashi respected the man.

Still, it didn't explain why Sakura was training with him. If she wanted to train why not train with one of her teammates? With him?

He watched as Sakura was knocked across the clearing and into a tree. He found himself immediately concerned when she didn't immediately get back up. His feet moved of their own volition quickly to her side, but he stopped himself as Itachi walked calmly over towards her and offered her a hand up. Sakura raised a delicate hand and allowed herself to be hauled to her feet.

"You leave yourself open too often." Itachi murmured. "We are not alone." Sakura glanced around and her eyes landed on Kakashi's still form. He was only a short distance away, close enough to hear the words that were being said but far enough away so that he wasn't immediately noticed. She gave a little wave and glanced at Itachi.

"Shall we continue tomorrow?"

Itachi shook his head, his crimson eyes staring at her in a way that had Kakashi's hackles raised. "I have a mission."

"Okay, I'll see you when you get back." She gave him a small smile that made Kakashi frown. Itachi nodded briefly then disappeared from sight.

Emerald eyes turned his way, gazing at him inquisitively. Kakashi immediately found himself at a loss to explain why he had come looking for her. He smiled at her sheepishly, scratching the back of his head. Sakura rolled her eyes and walked over to him, grabbing his hand.

"Come on, let's get some lunch. I'm ravenous." He didn't say anything about the fact that he had already eaten. Instead, he followed behind her docilely, pulling out his book with his one free hand, trusting her to lead him where she chose.

She led him to the café that he had just left behind. The waiter tossed him an odd look upon his return, but glanced at Sakura and gave him a sly smile that he ignored.

He initiated conversation first because he couldn't help himself. "So, you're training with Itachi."

Sakura nodded. "He is one of the best, and I needed a little extra help."

"Why didn't you come to me?"

Sakura stared at him, surprised. It was obvious that the thought had never occurred to her, and he found that it rankled him.

"You're usually so busy with Naruto and Sasuke that I just…."

"Just?"

Sakura shrugged her shoulders. "I guess I didn't want to bother you."

"Sakura, we're teammates. You wouldn't bother me."

Sakura tossed him a disbelieving look. "I'd give you a hard time, but it wouldn't bother me," Kakashi clarified. That explanation she seemed to believe.

"Are you saying that you'd rather I not train with Itachi?" Kakashi raised a brow at her use of Itachi's first name. Very few people were allowed such an opportunity. It spoke of the closeness of their relationship.

Kakashi shifted uncomfortably in his chair. He didn't want to say yes to that question--but it was truly what he wanted to say. He was honest enough to admit that she could learn a lot from Uchiha Itachi. Kakashi didn't want to stifle her growth in any way--not if it meant keeping her alive. So he moderated his answer in a way that kept his thoughts on the matter hidden.

"What I'm saying is that I'd rather you didn't forget that you have teammates that are here for you should you need them."

She smiled at him then and he wondered why such an action pleased him so.

Thereafter she trained with him. Their meetings at the café later turned into sparing sessions. In these sessions he was forced to notice her growth as a kunoichi, her talent, and skills, all things that he had not acknowledged earlier.

He found that he regretted these things and sought to correct them with the acknowledgement that he had so foolishly withheld. In time, he was able to call her not only comrade, but friend.

It was during one of such training regimes that things changed for them.

He had her pinned beneath him. There was no rhyme or reason to why he had done so, for he could have subdued her in any number of ways. Her chest heaved, brushing against his with every breath and he found thoughts entering his head that shouldn't be. He stared into her emerald eyes and found himself breathless. As he gazed into her eyes he realized that while he had her pinned she could free herself in any number of ways, but had chosen not to.

Did that mean--

Before he could question the situation any further, her soft lips met his in a tentative kiss. It wasn't a kiss full of passion, nor was it a kiss full of love. It was a questioning kiss. It asked him; was this what he wanted? What he desired? Shall I kiss you again?

It was the last question that Kakashi answered when he pressed his lips to hers once more.

And so it began as all things did.

With a kiss.

_--End Flashback--_

:::

"What a fine mess you've made, little girl." Sakura blushed at her mentor's words and looked down. Tsunade placed her hands on top of Sakura's shoulders gently but firmly. "Your father thinks Kakashi has cast some sort of genjutsu on you in order to get you to marry him."

Sakura's head swung upward, almost bumping into Tsunade's. "No! Of course not! He'd never do anything like that!"

"I know." Tsunade said. "That doesn't mean that you don't have to talk to your father. He's worried to death about you."

Sakura's head lowered once more. "I know."

"Why would you do this, Sakura? You're so young and Kakashi is--" Tsunade broke off once she saw the ominous aura coming off the young girl.

"What? Old?" The words were said in a way to make Tsunade feel ashamed, but it would be a cold day in hell before she was cowed by a young slip of a girl.

"Yes, old." Tsunade confirmed.

"It's not that many years," Sakura grumbled, looking away from her after seeing the glare that was sent her way.

"I don't believe you. If it wasn't that many years to you then you'd be standing firm in your belief. Tell me honestly, did Kakashi coerce you?"

"You just said you believed me!" Sakura cried, sliding off the examining table that she had been sitting on. Tsunade backed up a few feet to give her space to do what little pacing she could in the small room.

"I did until you started acting shifty."

"I'm not acting shifty! I'm just worried." Tsunade saw it then. Her lips were downward turned and her eyes held tell-tale signs of fatigue. The stress lines on her face were wrong for someone of her age. Tsunade sighed.

"Why?"

"I'm afraid you'll try to separate us."

"Why would I do that?"

"Kakashi is a little older than me. You said it yourself."

"I did, but he's a good man. You could do worse."

Sakura stared at Tsunade hardly daring to hope, but hope was all she could do.

"Are you saying that you're okay with this?"

Tsunade sighed wondering if she was becoming soft in her old age. The joy and hope in Sakura's eyes touched something deep within her. She could see no reason why Sakura shouldn't be happy--especially since she had been reckless enough to take such drastic actions to be with the man she loved. "I'm not okay with being up this early, but with your marriage? Sure, why not?" Sakura took a step toward Tsunade in order to hug her but the woman's next words forestalled her. "I do wish you had waited, but since you haven't you must speak with your father--tonight."

Trepidation crossed Sakura's face, but she nodded acceptingly, willing to do what she must for the man she loved.

:::

"I love him." Sakura stared squarely into her father's eyes and said the words that she should have told him quite some time ago. His lips twisted in a sneer that made her flinch.

"You're seventeen years old. You don't know anything about love. You've barely even begun to live."

"Daddy, I know what I'm doing." Sakura reassured her father.

"No you don't, but I wash my hands of you. You make an old man wish he never had any children."

"Don't say that. You know I love you, Daddy." Her words fell on deaf ears.

"Leave. Go home to your husband. You've made your bed and now you can die in it."

Tears spilled from Sakura's eyes and splashed upon her cheeks, but her father was unmoved by the display. Instead, he turned his back on her, steeling his heart against her departure.

:::

Kakashi took one look at Sakura's face as she reentered his apartment and immediately embraced her. Her arms wound around his waist and squeezed tightly. He held her silently and said no words, knowing that a gentle silence was more comforting than false words of reassurance.

After some time passed he pulled away from her and looked at her questioningly.

"The Hokage supports our marriage." Kakashi let out a sigh of relief that he hadn't been aware that he was holding. He stared down at her face, seeing that it was still grieved.

"What is it? I thought you'd be happy."

"My father disapproves."

"Sakura, you knew he wouldn't be happy."

"He says he's done with me."

"His words were spoken in anger. Give him a little time to cool and then we'll go to him together. You're his only daughter, I'm sure he'll forgive you in time."

"You think it'll only take time?"

Kakashi leaned down and lightly kissed her forehead. "I can't make you any guarantees Sakura, but it's a little too soon to lose hope, isn't it?"

Sakura nodded and gave him a shaky smile, leaning into him and awaiting his touch. He didn't hesitate and soon thereafter swung her up into his arms and carried her to bed.

:::

Genma shook his head back and forth, furiously trying to clear it. They were on their way to the Hokage's office as they had been summoned for some type of mission they were supposed to go on the next day, and Tsunade had sent Genma to ensure that he arrived in a timely fashion. He really hadn't been bothered by it since Sakura had left early that morning to train.

"I was there in the office when you announced the news, but I still can't believe you married her. How old is she? Sixteen?" Kakashi glanced at Genma, unperturbed by his incredulity. It was something they both expected once people learned of their couple status. He had decided long ago if Sakura wasn't disturbed by being with an old man such as himself then neither would he be concerned with the glares and gossips.

"Seventeen."

"It couldn't be me, man. Older women are the way to go."

"So speaks the single man," Kakashi said with a wry grin.

"No. I'm serious. Older women are generally ready to settle down, start a family, and the like. They're more loyal than these young girls."

"Don't make insinuations about Sakura, Genma. You don't really know her," Kakashi cautioned.

"I'm just telling you to be careful, man. The last thing I ever expected to see was you married and now that I have…I'd hate to see you with a broken heart."

"I'm more likely to break her heart than she is to break mine. Don't worry on my--" Kakashi words halted in his throat as a flash of pink caught his eye. "Is that…?" His words trailed off and he followed the pink dart that flew across the training grounds they were in the midst of passing. She was moving so swiftly that he could barely see her. At first, he'd thought it was Uchiha Sasuke who was sparring with her, but after closer inspection the Copy Ninja could see that the grace and fluidity of the movements belonged to a much more powerful Uchiha.

"Ha! I got you!" Sakura shouted as she held the kunai to Uchiha Itachi's throat. A smirk graced the Uchiha's lips as he asked the kunoichi, "Do you?" Itachi disappeared in a puff of smoke right before her eyes.

"Oh come on! You never mentioned we could use bushins!" Sakura yelled, exasperated. "We've been at this for hours now! How the hell am I supposed to catch you if I can't match your speed?"

Itachi suddenly appeared behind her, leaning down next to her ear. "If you can't catch me at the speed you're going then you must…speed up." Sakura whirled around only to find that he was gone. She growled in frustration and turned to go after him, stopping only to wave fondly at her husband before dashing off to find her quarry.

::

_He pulled her back against his chest. Her body shuddered slightly as she felt the hard contours of his body. "You don't love him. You never did."_

_::_

"They look like they're having fun," Genma remarked idly. Kakashi felt his jaw clench and a small ache began to form in his heart. Genma took in Kakashi's countenance, finding it less than pleasant. "Be careful, Kakashi," he said with a little laugh. "Beware the green-eyed monster."

Kakashi shook his head as if clearing it of something unpleasant. "I don't know what you're talking about Genma." He ignored the look of disbelief that crossed the other man's face. "Let's go."

:::

Sakura hummed pleasantly in the kitchen as she prepared dinner. She wore an apron that said 'Kiss me? I'd prefer you do…other things'. It had been one that Kakashi had worn only in her presence on the rare occasion that he had cooked for her. She had no idea where he had found it, but it was so typical of him.

A grin covered her face when she sensed his presence in the kitchen. Sakura looked over her shoulder to find him leaning in the doorway, watching her every move.

"Welcome home!" She said merrily. She hadn't seen him since earlier in the morning when she had been training with Itachi. She moved over to him and wrapped her arms around his waist. Sakura frowned slightly when she noticed that he didn't wrap his arms around her and hug her back. "'Kashi, is something wrong?" A long pause followed her question and Sakura pulled back to look at his face. His eyes were like black ice, cold and deadly as they looked down at her. He was suddenly a stranger; a man she'd only ever seen in battle. That look meant death for someone, and while usually she felt safe with him, today was different.

::

"_He's my husband." She whispered softly as his hand traveled over her now exposed navel, lightly caressing, gently teasing. _

"_Irrelevant." _

::

Sakura took a step back away from him. "Kakashi?" She asked tentatively. He blinked then, his eyes coming into focus. His arms reached out and pulled her to him and Sakura sighed, relaxed now that he seemed more normal. Perhaps she had imagined the whole incident.

"I saw you earlier, training with Itachi."

Sakura pulled back, suddenly enthused. "Yes, Itachi's been working with me lately on my speed."

"Lately?" Kakashi inquired.

"Yeah, he says one of the essential elements of fighting a member of the Uchiha clan is speed so we're working on mine."

"I thought you stopped training with him."

"Why did you think that?" Sakura asked with a frown. She didn't recall ever saying that she had ceased her training sessions with the elder Uchiha. In fact, she never recalled having any intention to do so. He didn't answer her question, instead he replied with a question of his own.

"If you wanted to train why didn't you ask me? I was available."

Sakura tossed him a saucy look. "You were available, yes, but I do believe I wore those old bones of yours out last night. Did you even hear me say goodbye this morning?"

"I did," Kakashi said, thankful for his mask that hid the blush that stained his cheeks or notice the partial lie that slipped from between his lips. He heard her say that she was going to train, but that was about it. Last night had worn him out.

"Um-hmm, sure you did," Sakura laughed knowingly. "Go sit down. I'm almost done with dinner." Kakashi nodded and exited the kitchen.

She was training regularly with Itachi and he could honestly say that he didn't like it. His first instinct was to tell her to stop, but he knew the training would do her good. Kakashi held those words back in fear of seeming foolish. She was his wife and he had nothing to fear from any other men. Sakura loved him and he knew that.

:::

"Kakashi, I hear congratulations are in order!"

They were returning home from a mission. It wasn't a terribly complicated one, but it had still taken too much time. He disliked being away from Sakura so long. There was an ache in his heart that only newlyweds get when parted for extended periods of time.

Kakashi smiled at Mibu and nodded his head, accepting the man's felicitations. The smile was wiped clean off his face with his next words.

"I always expected that girl to end up with an Uchiha, though."

::

"_This is wrong." Her soft, sweet voice whispered into the shadows of the night._

"_What makes you happy…is wrong?" He murmured, as he trailed hungry kisses down her throat, eliciting a shiver from his partner._

_::_

Kakashi shrugged his shoulders and accepted the bottle of water that Genma tossed his way.

"I mean they were the only guys I ever saw her with. If it wasn't the younger son, Sasuke then it was with the older one. When did you two date?"

Kakashi fought back a frown that was threatening to emerge. "We managed to get together every now and again." He wasn't one to divulge his personal life to people who were virtually strangers, but he still found himself annoyed by the man's words. He spent plenty of time with Sakura throughout their courtship. Just because they didn't flaunt their relationship in front of everyone didn't mean it never existed.

"And she's a young thing, isn't she? Is she letting you sleep at night?"

Kakashi caught the lewd innuendo and tossed the man a look that assured him that if he continued along the line of his questioning that he would regret it. Mibu held up his hands in a placating gesture and Kakashi went back to what he did best--ignoring people.

:::

:::

He was tired. He had awakened early in the morning in a rush to make the final stretch back to Konoha. He didn't hear Genma's and Mibu's ribald jests at his eagerness to return home. In actuality, he was thinking rather lewd thoughts about his wife. He had every intention of seeking her out, tossing her on the bed and having his wicked, wicked way with her and showing her how naughty he could be. But plans have a way of being forestalled or halted. It stopped him dead to see his beautiful young wife sipping tea with the elder Uchiha in Kakashi's own kitchen. He was angry and tired, and now Sakura was spending all of her time with Itachi. When she saw him, Sakura stood and a bright smile was formed on her adulterous lips. Kakashi didn't even realize he'd been thinking such things as jealousy began to eat at him.

"You're home!"

Itachi rose to his feet and nodded his head in Kakashi's direction. Kakashi continued to stare at him blankly. It was like two dogs fighting over a bone. Kakashi wanted to tear the younger man apart for sitting with his wife, and he wanted everyone to know that he, Kakashi Hatake, was Sakura's husband. No one else should even be in the running. He didn't soften his gaze for a moment, and it didn't take long for the other man to get the point. He caught subliminal messages with ease and left quietly before Sakura had the chance to protest his sudden disappearance.

Sakura glanced over her shoulder to see her houseguest suddenly gone. She frowned slightly, but then shrugged it off, focusing on the return of her husband. She often felt that Itachi didn't feel quite comfortable around her new husband, but she had no clue as to why. Perhaps it was because her man was such an incredible and strong ninja. Before she could ponder further over the subject her attention was drawn back to Kakashi.

"Why was he here?" Kakashi asked, searching her face for lies. He would see it if she was trying to deceive him. He had been trained to pick up the slight change in a person, and his instincts never failed him. Sakura wasn't good at deception--when it wasn't work related. Although, was that really true? If she could be deceptive while working, surely in her personal life she could be as well.

"Itachi? Oh, he's often here early in the mornings."

"No, he's not," Kakashi contradicted, catching the woman in the obvious lie.

"Well, not since we've been married. It was generally part of our training together."

"He shows up for tea early in the morning to train you?"

Sakura chuckled. "Not quite."

::

"_Leave him."_

"_I can't."_

"_Give me one reason you can't."_

"_Because--" Her words faltered and she found that she couldn't say another word._

_::_

"Itachi tries to kill me on a regular basis." Sakura explained patiently, not quite expecting Kakashi's violent reaction.

"_He what?!"_

Sakura smiled and patted his arm reassuringly. "Don't worry. We never take it too far. He has just made it a habit sneak into my home and odd moments to catch me off guard." Sakura flushed slightly as she remembered one particular incident where he had caught her in the shower. He hadn't seen anything, but she did see his shadow through her shower curtain. Unfortunately for her she had gone all 'girly' and had screamed bloody murder. He had quietly exited the bathroom chuckling softly, and made himself at home. "He hasn't really done it since we've been married. He thought I might be getting rusty."

"Sakura, isn't that taking it a little too far?" Kakashi asked, not liking the fact her face suddenly became becomingly rosy while speaking of Itachi. Kakashi could smell the scent of burning sandalwood and fire that was associated with Itachi and had the urge to cover everything with his own masculine scent, including his wife. Pakkun would say that he was marking his territory, and he wouldn't have been wrong.

"Not really. Who knows when an enemy will attack? It's best to be prepared at all times."

She was right. It was something that he had never thought to do with any of his students. Still, he would protest it. The man was too involved in Sakura's life and if she didn't see it then it would only lead to disaster in the end.

"I'd prefer it if he doesn't visit our home when I'm not here."

Sakura blinked, startled. She didn't see a problem with Itachi's sudden attempts to kill her. It had been going on for so long that it had become a regular part of her life. "Why? You don't truly think he'd hurt me, do you?" At seeing Kakashi's cold gaze she assumed that he did believe it. "Okay, he'd hurt me a little, but it's always something I can heal relatively easily."

"He hurt you?" The question was asked in a deceptively calm voice and Sakura felt her breath catch in fear. It made her remember that Kakashi had been acting strange lately, especially where Itachi was concerned. She began to think that she should tread carefully when speaking of the man in Kakashi's presence. If she didn't know better she'd swear he was jealous.

"It's just normal training stuff. No big deal."

"No big deal." Sakura nodded her head, thinking that he understood, but woefully missing the full picture. "You're sleeping with him."

"I'm--what?" Sakura asked, puzzled.

"I said you're sleeping with me--now."

Sakura stared at Kakashi certain that wasn't what he had said, but she found herself responding to the sudden heat in his eyes. Her feet moved, fleeing from him towards their bedroom. She tossed herself upon their bed and only had time to roll onto her back before she felt the weight of his body pressed against hers. Her pulse quickened as it always did when they lay together like this. As his hands roamed over her body she could have sworn she heard him whisper, "I'll make you forget him." But she knew it was just her imagination because who was there to forget when all she wanted was in her arms?

That night he made love to her with something akin to desperation and as she clung to him in the throes of ecstasy she realized that something was wrong.

:::

Sakura strolled through the market looking for the ingredients for miso soup to make Kakashi for dinner--and doing a little extra shopping while she was at it. She had thoughts to pull Kakashi out of the funk he had been in lately by making his favorite meal. After he had made love to her a few nights ago he had become very withdrawn, even more so than usual. Sakura frowned. His behavior was off and it was worrying her.

He no longer held her securely in his arms murmuring how he loved her. She could deal with losing one, but both at the same time? A pang went through Sakura's heart and her head bowed from the pain of it.

"Need help?"

Sakura raised her head and looked up into a pair of dark eyes. She tried to smile but found that she couldn't. Her heart was too heavy to put on a pretense of joy. She simply nodded her head and allowed Itachi to take several of her bags away from her.

They walked home in silence. It was one of the things she appreciated about Itachi. He knew something was wrong, but he didn't prod or press her to express her feelings into words. Just his presence was enough.

:::

"So, what you two are walking home together now? How long before you're holding hands?"

Sakura's eyes grew wide at Kakashi's words. She hadn't misheard him. Not this time. He was implying that--

Sakura crossed the room to where he was reclining on the sofa. He made no move to help her bring her purchases into the kitchen. Instead he stared at her as if he didn't know her. He, of all people, should know her the best. It just about killed her to see that expression on his face.

The sound of her hand hitting his flesh made a resounding noise that echoed throughout the room.

"How dare you! I would never allow any man to touch me but you. You know that!"

"I know of no such thing," Kakashi growled coldly, rising to leave their apartment. Sakura watched him go, angry and glad to see him leave, yet all the while hurt because she had a feeling that her marriage was falling apart before it really even began.

:::

"I think it would be best if I stopped training with you." Sakura's lips were turned downward and her brow was furrowed in thought. Months had passed since Kakashi had implied that her relationship with Itachi was more than it really was. Months of coldness and harsh words had become the only interaction she had with her husband. Sakura had no idea that someone could be so close and yet so far away, but she was learning.

Itachi raised a brow at her words. It was the last thing he had expected to hear from her. She was a rather promising kunoichi and it pleased him to be the one to further her education in the ninja arts.

"Why?"

"I think my husband believes that there is more to us than just training. I think you know it, too."

:::

It was wrong and he knew it. He shouldn't be following her. He should trust her, but he found that he could not. There were too many whispers, innuendos that there was something going on between the two of them, and if they weren't implying that there was something going on it was being said that there would be soon.

He had ignored the words at first, calling them ludicrous. In time though, doubt had perched itself on his shoulders and plagued him constantly. Her every action, her every movement he'd scrutinized in order to see if there was any deviation from what he considered to be the norm. He had found none--though that meant nothing.

He was well aware that if you stared at an object hard enough you would see the imperfections, but there were things that he had to know about his wife.

Was she an adulteress in the making? Or had she already crossed that dark line?

And so he hid his presence deep within the shadows, chakra suppressed and listened in on the words that his wife needed the utmost secrecy to speak with Itachi about. She had told him that she was going to the Yamanaka flower shop to speak with Ino. Of course, he had known it to be a lie so he followed her, and heard the words that damned her.

"_There is more to us than just training. I think you know it, too." _

:::

Sakura stared at Itachi, waiting for him to say something, anything to her earlier statement, but he remained silent for almost too long. It made her uneasy and she just wished he would say something to alleviate the silence.

"Your husband is holding you back."

:::

"_Your husband is holding you back." _

Kakashi's jaw clenched as her heard the Uchiha utter those words. He was holding them back from the love that they could have. It was just as he suspected. She had never truly loved him. It had always been Itachi the whole time.

He was a fool. He was the only person besides Sasuke who knew that there was some man out there that held her attention and her heart. Why had he fallen for her in the first place? It was a miscalculation that under normal circumstances he would not have made. Why now of all times? It was a question that was answered quickly by the nagging and persistent ache in his heart.

He wanted it to be him. He wanted it to be him whom she loved with every fiber of her being. He wanted it to be him that distracted her so much that she couldn't think straight. Him, who she wanted to spend every breathing moment of her time with.

Him.

Not Uchiha Itachi.

:::

"I can't keep going on this way. A decision had to be made so--"

"Say no more. I understand."

Sakura nodded her head, relieved that he wasn't going to make a fuss about it. She should have known better. He wasn't that sort of man. She left him then with the intent to go make peace with her husband.

She didn't know where this insane bout of jealousy that he was feeling came from. She loved him and he knew that. He had to know that, didn't he? It seemed he didn't, though. He was pulling away from her more and more each day, slowly but surely separating them with his suspicion and anger. It broke her heart to know that she was losing the man she loved more than life, simply because he refused to have faith in her. Well, she was tired of it. Tonight was the night that they settled things. She was not going to let him go without a fight.

However, he wasn't at home when she returned. It was somewhat disappointing since she was all riled up and ready to fight--and later on have vigorous make up sex. She had thoughts to go search for him, but she knew that Kakashi was a master at being hidden and if he didn't want her to find him, she never would.

So she would wait for him and when he returned home they would talk, and she would and set matters straight.

Night had fallen by the time she heard the click of their bedroom door, telling her that he had returned home. Her eyes snapped open immediately at the sound. She had dozed off while waiting for him yet she hadn't fallen into a deep sleep. How could she? It had been a fitful and restless nap that gave her no peace. She would sleep easy once she laid in the arms of the man who she had given her heart to long ago.

"Kakashi?" She called his name, sensing him there but not seeing him. The sun had still been shining when she had come home so she had not felt the need to turn on any lights upon her arrival. Now she wished she had as she lay in her bed with so much darkness between them. Not a bit of moonlight shone through her windows, not even a twinkle of starlight could be beheld. It was pure darkness--the likes of which she had never before seen.

He didn't answer her call so Sakura rolled over to reach for a lamp to turn it on so that she could see _him,_ and not just an outline of his body.

"Don't move."

Sakura paused at the lack of emotion that she heard in his voice, but she continued to move to turn on the light, disregarding his words.

"I said don't move."

Suddenly she found herself pinned to the bed with the weight of his body pressed against hers. A moan escaped from between her lips inadvertently at his proximity. How long had it been since he had touched her or been this close to her? Her mind didn't know, but her body did. It had been far too long. So long in fact that it made all thoughts of their current problems fly out of her head.

Her hips arched up against his in askance and in response he reached for her hands and pinned them above her head. A smile formed on her lips at the action. She liked an aggressive, dominating Kakashi. Sakura wiggled a little, waiting for his next action which was not forth coming. He had frozen above her and Sakura squinted her eyes, trying to see his face. Puzzlement reigned over her for a moment and Sakura bit her bottom lip in confusion.

"Kakashi?" He didn't answer and a shiver ran through her body. This time it wasn't one of passion, it was one of fear. In the months that had passed these silences from him had become more and more frequent. It was as if he heard something, saw something that she could not. Sakura found she was immensely frightened of what was being said. "Kakashi!" She shouted, drawing his attention back to her.

"Sakura," He said, his grip tightening slightly.

"Kakashi, what's going on?"

Kakashi, not releasing her arms, leaned down and whispered next to her ear, "I heard you."

"Heard what?" Sakura asked with a frown. She pushed a little against his hands finding that she was unable to move even the slightest. She tried to call chakra to her hands in order to force him to let her free, and that was when she realized that he had done something to her. "What did you do? Kakashi, what are you doing?" Her voice was beginning to show her panic. She was alone in a room with him, defenseless. It reminded of her genin days when she had been all but useless to their team. It was a feeling she had never thought to feel again. How wrong she had been.

"Kakashi, turn on the light. Turn on the light for me, please." Sakura's thoughts whirled around in her head furiously. He had done something to her to stop her from using her chakra. Why would he need to take things that far?

She needed to see his face. But more so, she needed him to see hers. He needed to see what he was doing to her, to see how much he was scaring her. It should be enough to jar him back to his senses, and when that happened perhaps she could help him get a grip on himself. He'd told her many times that he would never hurt her. He needed to see that he was breaking his promise.

Kakashi released her arms then, but still remained perched atop of her. She had a brief moment of relief until he took his hand and ran it down her throat. Up and down, side to side, as if savoring the feel of her skin beneath his hand. Sakura swallowed and wished she hadn't. It seemed that her action sparked a reaction out of her dangerous, oh so loving husband. His hand closed around her throat and began to squeeze lightly. Not enough to cause any difficulty breathing, but just enough to let her know that he was fully in control of the entire situation. She was at his mercy.

Sakura raised both her arms and grabbed Kakashi's hand in order to move it but found it to be a pointless move. She was no match for him without her chakra. After all, she was a woman and he was man.

"You're going to leave me for him."

Sakura's eyes widened as he raised his other hand to wrap around her throat so that he could begin to squeeze a little tighter. She had no idea how he had come to that conclusion.

"No, Kakashi," She whispered. "Never."

"I heard you."

Sakura started to shake her head, but he only squeezed her neck enough to stop her movements.

"I love only you."

"Pretty lies, Sakura, but I won't hear them any longer."

Sakura struggled to take air into her lungs, still fighting to pull his hands off her throat to no avail. His hands became tighter and tighter on her throat, sucking the life out of her body.

Slowly, slowly Sakura's arms dropped to her side. She ceased to struggle any longer. Her hands fell on the bed in a soft, muffled thud. Sakura looked up at the face that she could not clearly see and let him do as he willed. Why could she not fight him? She then realized it was because her heart was breaking. Did he have so little trust in her to think that she would betray him so callously? Him of all people, the man she had left her family behind for.

Sakura hated that it had come to this. She was a fool to think that she could fix their relationship. She never should have loved him in the first place. It was a fool's errand…and yet if she could do it all again…she would…only she would love him more, harder, fiercely so that there would be no room for doubt to creep into his heart. As it was all that she could do for him now was to die. And she would do so.

What was the point in living if he no longer loved her, if he no longer trusted her?

Kakashi's hands squeezed tighter and tighter until she couldn't breathe at all. Still, her body struggled to do what it was programmed to do until her eyes grew heavy and her eyes closed softly.

Softly, she whispered before she closed her eyes for the final time, "I love you, Kakashi." Her words did not move him, perhaps because they were so faint, or because he no longer cared. He had decided not to believe in her love anymore.

He stared into space for sometime after Sakura had ceased breathing. His hands remained loosely wrapped around her throat and the whispers continued to taunt him that his woman wanted another.

Suddenly Kakashi blinked back the dark insanity and looked down at the woman whose waist he was straddling.

"Sakura?" He asked questioningly. When she didn't answer he lifted his body off of hers and went to turn on the lamp. What he saw sent a sliver of fear down his spine. She lay supine on their bed, her eyes closed but her mouth hung slightly agape. Her neck was bruised as if someone had squeezed the life out of her. But surely that wasn't the case. Who would do such a thing? Kakashi looked around the room to find he was the only occupant. Then he recalled his exact position when he had snapped out of his daze.

No.

He couldn't have done this. He wouldn't have. She was his wife, the love of his life. Impossible! The most important part of him lay slain in their bed. By his hand? Surely not! Never!

His mind suddenly recalled an earlier conversation that Sakura had with Itachi. His heart hardened immediately. The despair that almost claimed him fully slipped away. Ah, yes. That was it. She was planning to leave him to be with that other man. That was why he killed her...and she deserved it. Why marry him if only to play the strumpet? He had thought better of her than this. Yet, he supposed, like any man, he could be fooled by a pretty face and a gentle smile.

"What have you done?"

Kakashi whirled around to face the very object of his hatred.

"Get out," Kakashi hissed, eyeing the Uchiha coldly. This was the man who had forced him to act villainously. The man who had the nerve to stare at him disdainfully, reproaching him without words for his actions.

"This is how you repay her devotion to you?" Itachi raised a single brow in scorn and disdain. "With murder? I'm ashamed to say I thought better of you."

"You speak mighty haughtily for a man who's sleeping with my wife behind my back."

Itachi glanced at Sakura, and then back at Kakashi.

"So she was right," Itachi said, watching Kakashi's movements carefully. "She came to see me this afternoon."

"I'm aware of that."

"Are you?" Itachi mused. "Do you know what she said?"

Sasuke entered the room, immediately moving to Sakura's body not understanding immediately why she was so still. He reached out to lightly touch her neck that held the tell-tale bruises on it. Sasuke raised his eyes and looked around. It only took seconds after touching her for him to realize that Sakura was no longer among the living. His eyes filled with despair, and his normal pale pallor became more defined.

"What happened? Who did this?" Itachi glanced at him, suddenly glad that he'd told his younger brother to follow him to the Hatake residence. He had a feeling things were about to get ugly fast.

Sasuke lifted Sakura's rapidly cooling body into his arms, a single tear sliding down his cheek before he could compose himself.

"I did it," Kakashi said, with a callous shrug. "Or you could say she did it to herself. She was cheating on me--or about to with your brother."

Sasuke looked at Kakashi as if he had grown another head. He pulled Sakura closer to him as if he could protect her, though he knew nothing could hurt her now. "No, she wasn't."

"She was. I heard her confess her feelings to him this afternoon. He reciprocated."

Sasuke snarled at Kakashi. "The only man she ever loved was you! Do you think I ever would have let her go to any other man except the one she obviously adored?"

Kakashi stared at Sasuke in disbelief. "But--"

Itachi interrupted what he was about to say. "The confession that you heard was her actually telling me that she suspected that _you _thought that there was more to our relationship than training. Because of this she decided to cease training with me to appease you."

Kakashi's eyes widened at he stared at Sakura's body. He let out a sound that was a mixture of pain and damnation at his foolish actions. He fell to his knees and clutched his chest. How had it come to this? Was this what happened when you loved too much? When you let jealously consume your heart? No wonder his parents had chosen death. Kakashi then came to a stunning realization.

He had loved her to death.

Unable to stand, Kakashi crawled over to where his wife lay. Suddenly, her final words reached his ears, making him feel like a greater fool.

"_I love you, Kakashi."_

His body felt like it was being stabbed repeatedly by his own foolishness. After what seemed like an eternity he reached his bedside only to see Sasuke protecting Sakura.

"I'll never let you touch her again!"

"Sasuke," Itachi admonished softly. Sasuke looked at his brother ready to argue, but Itachi shook his head softly. "She was his wife," Itachi reminded him. "She'd want you to let him have his moment."

Sasuke knew his brother was correct. Out of everyone he was the one who knew just how fiercely his teammate had loved the Copy Ninja. Reluctantly, angrily, Sasuke moved away from Sakura's body and as far away from Kakashi as he could get. Kakashi crawled onto the bed and wrapped his arms around Sakura, holding her close like he hadn't done in so long. He buried his face in her hair, still smelling the lingering scent of lemongrass and oranges that engulfed him in so many memories. After a while he raised his head and brought his lips to hers, lightly leaving a kiss behind.

He spoke then, his words barely discernable to the occupants of the room. "So with this kiss…" Kakashi's eyes drank in Sakura's still form for the last time. "I die."

Itachi held out his hand to stop Sasuke from moving when Kakashi pulled out a kunai. Kakashi plunged that kunai into his broken heart, following swiftly after his wife, hoping that in the afterlife he might make up for his terrible mistakes. Her face, stained with tears she had unknowingly shed, was the last thing his eyes saw before death took him, and he would have it no other way.

Sasuke turned his head to glare at his brother. There was no way that Kakashi should be granted an easy way out after what he had done. His brother, sensing his thoughts, turned to face Sasuke. The severity of the situation was reflected in Itachi's eyes and Sasuke found that he couldn't look at him—not without feeling the anguish of Sakura's death tenfold.

"She was _his _wife, Sasuke. Let him spend eternity in the afterlife groveling at her feet." Itachi closed his eyes silently, grieving the loss of greatness in the room. "Because in the end, the one whose forgiveness he truly needs is hers."

The brothers stood together in silence, waiting until they were certain that Kakashi was dead before they turned to go to the Hokage tower, and _**this heavy act with heavy heart relate.**_

* * *

**_Many thanks to BlueArcticWolf for betaing this for me._**


End file.
